Open AccessCytokine response and polymerase chain reaction study of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in infants with human cytomegalovirus infection
Author(s) -
Asanuma Hideomi,
Numazaki Kei,
Nagata Nobuo,
Chiba Shunzo
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
fems immunology & medical microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1574-695X
pISSN - 0928-8244
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-695x.1995.tb00187.x
Subject(s) - human cytomegalovirus , biology , polymerase chain reaction , virology , cd8 , cytokine , tumor necrosis factor alpha , immunology , peripheral blood mononuclear cell , immunoassay , betaherpesvirinae , herpesviridae , cytomegalovirus , real time polymerase chain reaction , antibody , virus , microbiology and biotechnology , immune system , viral disease , gene , in vitro , biochemistry
We tried to detect human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) DNA in CD4 + and CD8 + T lymphocytes from fourteen infants with HCMV hepatitis using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. HCMV was isolated from their urine and anti‐HCMV IgM antibody was detected in their sera. One set of primers were designed from a region — a major immediate early (IE) gene. We detected HCMV IE DNA in the specimens obtained from six infants. HCMV IE DNA was detected from CD4 + cells in two cases and from CD8 + cells in one. In three cases, HCMV IE DNA was detected from both CD4 + and CD8 + cells. We also studied the relationship between HCMV infection and serum levels of cytokines. We determined serum levels of interleukin‐4 (IL‐4), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α) and soluble interleukin 2 receptor (sIL‐2R) which were associated with the activation of T lymphocytes by enzyme immunoassay. In the acute phase of HCMV infection, titers of sIL‐2R were correlated with serum levels of liver enzymes in some cases. IL‐4 and TNF‐α activities were not detected in sera. It is likely that expression of viral genome on T lymphocytes as well as activities of some cytokines are associated with active HCMV infection.